The influence of telehealth-based cancer rehabilitation interventions on disability: a systematic review

Abstract

Purpose To characterize delivery features and explore effectiveness of telehealth-based cancer rehabilitation interventions that address disability in adult cancer survivors. Methods A systematic review of electronic databases (CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library: Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase, National Health Service’s Health Technology Assessment, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) was conducted in December 2019 and updated in April 2021. Results Searches identified 3,499 unique studies. Sixty-eight studies met inclusion criteria. There were 81 unique interventions across included studies. Interventions were primarily delivered post-treatment and lasted an average of 16.5 weeks ( SD = 13.1). They were most frequently delivered using telephone calls (59%), administered delivered by nursing professionals (35%), and delivered in a one-on-one format (88%). Risk of bias of included studies was primarily moderate to high. Included studies captured 55 measures of disability. Only 54% of reported outcomes had data that allowed calculation of effect sizes ranging -3.58 to 15.66. Conclusions The analyses suggest small effects of telehealth-based cancer interventions on disability, though the heterogeneity seen in the measurement of disability makes it hard to draw firm conclusions. Further research using more diverse samples, common measures of disability, and pragmatic study designs is needed to advance telehealth in cancer rehabilitation. Implications for Cancer Survivors Telehealth-based cancer rehabilitation interventions have the potential to increase access to care designed to reduce disability across the cancer care continuum. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11764-022-01181-4.

Palliative care delivery changes during COVID-19 and enduring implications in oncology nursing: a rapid review

“…Oncology nurses are well suited to fill staffing needs for providing telehealth-facilitated primary palliative care. Evidence indicates that oncology nurses have previously guided patients with advanced cancer in symptom management [ 46 ] and cancer survivors in functional performance improvements using telehealth [ 47 ]. Digital equity must also be considered with respect to patient/caregiver access.…”

Efficacy of Group Exercise–Based Cancer Rehabilitation Delivered via Telehealth (TeleCaRe): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Telehealth may be a convenient and effective way to increase access to exercise. However, no previous randomized controlled trials have evaluated supervised, web-based group exercise via videoconferencing in a real-world health setting [ 15 , 24 ]. This trial will compare a comprehensive, exercise-based cancer telerehabilitation program, delivered in a supervised group and usual care on patient and health service outcomes within a pragmatic health service setting.…”

“…A phone-based telerehabilitation intervention compared with usual care focused on pain reduction, improved mobility, reduced pain, and hospital length of stay in people with advanced cancer [20]. However, despite the broad variety of telehealth technologies that are available, most trials investigating exercise telehealth interventions for people with cancer have used simple, individual telephone interventions [21][22][23][24].…”

Differences in urban and suburban/rural settings regarding care provision and barriers of cancer care for older adults during COVID-19

“…As telemedicine care becomes more widely used, it provides an important opportunity to expand telemedicine care to older, rural patients who live a greater distance from tertiary medical centers, or to those older adults who may have transportation or mobility limitations. Regardless of location, modifications to telemedicine geriatric assessment as well as video visits [61] are important for promoting positive patient outcomes and patient-provider relationships, facilitating clear communication, and observing non-verbal communication [62][63][64][65].…”